The subject matter herein relates generally to electrical modules, and more particularly, to a module assembly with an improved heat transfer plate.
Electrical devices and/or modules are used in many applications to control or regulate circuits with electrical components. A variety of electrical components may be mounted or installed within the module assembly. For example, many modules include a printed circuit board (PCB) having numerous electrical components, such as a MOSFET, diodes, capacitors, resistors, transistors, microprocessors and other types of components, attached thereto. Electrical contacts are attached to the PCB and/or the electrical components and lead to an attached connector that carry signals and power to or from contacts in a mating connector.
The module assembly provides an environmentally secure and often times compact assembly to protect the electrical components and electrical contacts. The module assembly may then be installed in a particular mounting location to provide a particular electrical function. However, when in operation, the electrical components generate heat. Consequently, heat dissipating or cooling systems are often required as part of the module assembly to prevent overheating and to keep the module assembly operating as intended.
In typical applications, an aluminum heatsink is used to dissipate the heat generated by the electrical components. The heatsinks are typically expensive and occupy a large space, increasing the overall size of the module assembly. For example, the heatsinks have a plurality of upstanding fins that are exposed to air and cooled by convection cooling, where the larger the surface area of the fins, the greater the heat dissipation. In some active cooling applications, a fan is used to blow air across the heatsink to increase the rate of power or heat dissipation. The problem is that these heat dissipation methods require expensive heatsinks or extra components that increase the size and cost of a module assembly.
A need remains for a module assembly that is cooled in a cost effective and reliable manner. A need remains for a module assembly that is compact in size with adequate heat dissipation.